600,000 treasures on display in high-tech art exhibition

Art lovers on the Chinese mainland will get the chance next month to view the 600,000 precious works kept in Taipei's Palace Museum, thanks to a high-tech show in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province.

The exhibition, which will be staged at two locations, will see interactive exhibits displayed as 3-D images.

Computers and projectors will be used to display images, statistics and introductions to each piece, allowing visitors to rotate and zoom in on any angle.

The show, the first of its kind on the mainland, will be at the Nanjing International Exhibition Center from Sept 7 to 9, before moving to the art zone of Chenguang 1865 Creativity Industry Park from Sept 28 to Nov 10.

"The high-tech multimedia tools are not only good for promoting culture, but also for the public to better comprehend the techniques and structures of Chinese art treasures," said Gao Wenmao, representative of the Cultural and Creative Industry Association in Taiwan.

Gao said it would take a visitor 15 years to see all the treasures kept in the Palace Museum in Taipei if each batch of exhibits was changed every three months.

Zhao Ziyi, a Nanjing resident who visited Taipei's Palace Museum in April, said she is excited to have the chance to closely observe the exquisite works of art.

"Although I spent a whole day in the museum I still cannot fully comprehend the beauty within some paintings and calligraphies," said the 18-year-old soon-to-be university student.

"But through digital interactive media, now I can better enjoy the details of the artifacts, including the renowned miniature boat made from an olive kernel and the Jadeite Cabbage with Insects."

The miniature boat is one of the classical cultural relics in Taipei's Palace Museum. It is an olive kernel 3.4 cm long and 1.6 cm high in which eight people with different expressions and an article of more than 300 characters are carved.

The Jadeite Cabbage with Insects, a sculpture measuring 18.7 cm by 9.1 cm, is one of the most precious collections of the museum.

They were among the best pieces selected from the art collections in Beijing and delivered to Taiwan from the mainland by the Kuomintang in 1949.

Wang Liyun, a retired school teacher in Nanjing's Gulou district, said that he has long dreamed of seeing the art treasures.

"For older people whose health isn't good enough to fly, the news of the exhibition is a pleasant surprise," the 72-year-old said. "Not too many children want to visit museums now, and I hope that the modern technologies used in the exhibition can attract more young people."